Clinical importance of the bone marrow micrometastases in breast cancer patients

The aim of the article is to review the new diagnostic approaches in breast cancer and to demonstrate its importance to clinical practice. Occurrence of distant metastases in patients with early breast cancer, especially in node-negative cases, shows that an early dissemination of the disease is possible despite the locoregional treatment. Recently, prognostic significance of bone marrow micrometastases in breast cancer is intensively studied. Numerous studies show the presence of bone marrow micrometastases as a significant predictive factor according to disease free survival in breast cancer patients. Current diagnostic researches in the field are described as well as the potential clinical application of the results. Identification of isolated or complex occult metastases in bone marrow of breast cancer patients has an impact on the history of disease and may be a criterion for establishing therapeutic schemes. (authors)